Jr. B lacrosse club still finalizing roster
Apr 15, 2008 - 02:27 PM
By Brad Kelly
BOWMANVILLE -- Last year, the Clarington Green Gaels used an exclamation mark to punctuate their season, going 20-0 and then advancing to the league finals.
This season, at least right now anyway, there are more question marks than anything else.
The Green Gaels hit the floor on Saturday for their annual mini-tournament to help distinguish those who have a chance at making the roster from the rest of the wannabes. A split squad played games against a Newmarket entry and another including a mixture of Whitby Warriors, Green Gaels and Intermediate aged players. While the number of bodies remaining in camp was shaved from more than 50 to a more workable 34 for last night's Green and White game (after our deadline), the Jr. B lacrosse club is still waiting to see how the composition of the roster will be finalized.
"We have to wait and see what the Warriors do as to who may or may not be back," said manager Paul Chamois, who was serving as the official spokesperson for the lacrosse club on the day while coaches Jason Crosbie and Jonas Derks tended to their NLL commitments. "At this point in the season we aren't sure what the final roster is going to look like."
Training camp for the Jr. A Warriors is still ongoing, with final cuts from that team expected to filter down to the Green Gaels.
But for now, the club was expected to make final cuts following last night's intrasquad game. That will leave just over a week to prepare for the home opener on April 24 against Mississauga.
"We are looking for guys who will be able to step on to the team and help out in the short term that won't need a lot of grooming because we are going to have a young team," said Chamois. "There is going to be a bit of a learning curve, but we are looking to get players that are game ready."
The Warriors are expected to have a huge turnover of players considering that many of last year's team have graduated due to age. That will affect the Green Gaels, who expect that a lot of their top players from a year ago will be elevated to the higher level. That leaves just a small core of returning veterans, and a lot of open spots to fill.
THE SCOOP -- A number of players who have progressed through the Clarington minor system played Saturday, including Jesse Parks, Kirk Husak, Shane Jackson, Dylan Johnston, Dillon Pitchforth, Brett Brown, Andrew Kerr and Jake Best to name a few... The home opener at the Recreation Complex on April 24 against the Mississauga Tomahawks will begin at 8 p.m.
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